March 2017 Archives

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Accidents on Friday, March 31, 2017.

How common are roll-over accidents and what percentage come from over correcting. According to Consumer Reports, although rollovers occur in only about 3 percent of all serious crashes, they account for about 30 percent of people killed while riding in a passenger vehicle.

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Safety on Monday, March 20, 2017.

Spring break is quickly approaching and local authorities are preparing for the vacationers with a word of warning. Hotels and resorts say the season is longer this year, about eight weeks in total. Crackdowns in traditional destinations for college-age kids have the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) on alert. After Bay County/Panama City Beach passed several laws that starting March 1st, you cannot drink alcohol on the sandy beach or in commercial parking lots in March, ending alcohol sales at 2 a.m. and preventing overnight scooter rentals, many college-aged kids moved west to Walton and Okaloosa County to enjoy their spring break. Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has already sent letters to several colleges and high school campuses warning them to follow the rules.

On behalf of Brannon & Brannon posted in Careless Driving on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.

Drivers often face many temptations while operating vehicles that could take their attention away from driving. Because many individuals use texting as their main form of communication, texting while driving has increased as one of the most dangerous distractions on the roadway. You may find yourself feeling unsafe while traveling due to the possibility of coming across distracted drivers.

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Safety on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.

Cheerleading is evolving into a more athletic and competitive sport for many schools, even though it used to be considered a sideline activity. Experts say concussions now top the list of injuries sustained by high school cheerleaders. One recent study shows that cheerleading ranks 18th-lowest out of 22 high school sports in terms of injury rate. But of all the sports studied, cheerleading ranked second - behind gymnastics - in the proportion of injuries that resulted in an athlete being benched for at least three weeks or for the entire season. The study, which examined data from a national high school sports injury surveillance system between 2009 and 2014 study published in the Journal for Pediatrics says 31% of cheerleading injuries are concussions. What's even scarier is that many cheerleaders don't report their injuries. However, the study says, concussion rates were significantly lower in cheerleading (with 2.2 per 10,000 athlete-exposures) than all other high school sports combined (3.8 per 10,000 exposures) and all other girls' sports combined (2.7 per 10,000 exposures).

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Accidents on Monday, March 6, 2017.

The Pensacola News Journal and WEAR - Channel3 reports that four of the top 50 deadliest roads in the country pass through Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, according to an analysis of National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration data performed by consumer research firm ValuePenguin. The firm pulled NTHSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System data from 2011 to 2015 and found Interstate 10, U.S. 98, U.S. 90 and U.S. 29 all to be among the most dangerous roads in the country based on the occurrence of fatal accidents per 100 miles. The analysis looked at road length as a replacement for ridership since many of the roads extend across several states. Interstate 10, which stretches through Northwest Florida from Jacksonville to California, was ranked as the fourth most dangerous road, with 54½ deaths per 100 miles. The interstate was also ranked as the second darkest road, based upon 472 deaths which occurred in dark areas, as well as the fourth most likely road for accidents involving a drunk driver with 310 deaths. U.S. 90 was ranked as the 29th most dangerous road based upon 342 fatal accidents or 20.9 fatal accidents per 100 miles, U.S. 98 followed up at 31st with 188 accidents or 20 fatal accidents per 100 miles. U.S. 29.

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Safety on Friday, March 3, 2017.

Every year in the United States, bicycle-related deaths number about 900 and emergency rooms treat almost 500,000 people for bicycle-related injuries, most to the head. Bike mishaps in the U.S. send more children to the ER than any other sport. Proper use of a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 88%. In Florida, children under the age of 16 riding a bike or as a passenger on a bike are required by law to wear a helmet. Officer Caitlyn Anglin with the Lynn Haven Police Department told WJHG- Channel 7 that most of their accidents with children on bikes - the child is wearing their helmet which saved their live in certain cases. "It's illegal to have anyone on the bicycle anywhere but the seat," Anglin said. "If it's riding either in front of them of behind their head you can actually get a fine as the parent and the child for riding unsafely," she said. Riders need reflectors and lights in the front and back of their bikes that extend for at least 600 feet. Anglin said riders also need to be aware of the road rules. She said bikers need to ride with the flow of traffic. Riders must obey all traffic signs and lights. They can ride on the sidewalk so long as they are able to give audible warnings to other bikers and pedestrians. "They need to be following the flow of traffic and ride as far to the right hand side as they can," she said.

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Safety on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

We love a good parade here in Northwest Florida. There are Christmas parades, Mardi Gras parades, St. Patrick's Day parades and during the summer we have weekly parades to entertain those who come to visit the Emerald Coast. We thought it was prudent to put out some safety tips for parades, especially after reading about the tragedy that occurred this past weekend in New Orleans. According to WEAR, Channel 3, at least 12 people were critically injured when a vehicle plowed into a crowd watching a parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans. 21 people were hospitalized after the crash. Police say the suspect was taken into custody and is being investigated for driving while intoxicated.

By Janice Janice of Brannon & Brannon posted in Car Accidents on Thursday, March 2, 2017.

What is a Good Samaritan? A Good Samaritan is a person who helps other people and especially strangers when they have trouble. What do Good Samaritans do in car accidents? They are looking out for their fellow driver after a car accident and we all know after an accident that a little bit of help can go a long way. Sometimes it means heroically moving a victim from a burning car, but more often it means calling 911 or offering some reassuring words as that injured driver waits for help to arrive.

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